Time to Die

‘This is the last card,’ Bert said, his throat dry. He wondered why he hadn’t revealed the man’s murky past, why he hadn’t whispered those two words … I know. But now it was time for the grand finale. The climax, and Bert could barely wait. ‘You might not want to hear what I have to say but I’m going to complete the reading with a future prophecy.’

Suit man shrugged as his words curled in a slur. ‘You’ve blown me away so far. Feel free.’ Bert's eyes flickered to suit man’s car keys, sat like an accusation on the bar. He licked his lips as he dealt his last hand.

‘That rope in the boot of your car, the one you’ve been playing with, well tonight you’re going to use it. Because it’s the only way you can pay for what you’ve done.’ Bert held back a chuckle as a frisson of excitement rose up inside him. Was there really a rope in the boot of his car? The crumpled expression on the man’s face told him there was. He paused for breath and glanced around the pub. The couple had left and the dying embers of the fire faintly crackled in the background. A clock ticked on the wall, a reminder that time was ru

The man’s mask of friendship fell away to reveal eyes filled with torture and anguish. It was as if someone had let the air out of his face, and the age-ripened lines and grooves deepened in his distress. Slowly he nodded, before finishing his drink and sliding off the leather barstool. ‘It’s time,’ suit man said, in a hollow voice.

‘Yes,’ Bert agreed, his voice dropping to a whisper. ‘Time to die.’ He did not try to stop the man as he left the pub, his shoulders slouched under the burden of guilt. The ker-thunk sound of the double doors a

Snapping into action, Bert gathered together his cards. The shake in his hands was not from fear, but from the adrenalin coursing through his veins. It would not be long now. Giving the cards a quick shuffle, he slipped them back into the red velvet pouch before tugging the frayed gold drawstrings. It was a suitable punishment for the wicked, and a blessed release for him. Tonight suit man would take the rope to the dingy bedroom he was renting, and throw it over the strongest beam. With Bert’s words echoing in his mind, he would climb up onto a chair and place the noose over his head. Suit man’s final thoughts would be of the little girl he mowed down all those years ago.

Bert swigged the leftover whisky chaser in one gulp. As he slid off the barstool something on the floor caught his eye. Could it be? He ran his fingers through his hair, purposely knocking off his hat. Bending down to pick it up, he placed it over the wad of notes that had fallen from suit man’s pocket onto the floor. There must be a few hundred quid there. Sliding them into the i

Chapter Two

‘Stop, police!’ DC Je

‘Bog off!’ the girl yelled, her long auburn hair streaming behind her as she clattered down the narrow alleyway, dodging puddles and overstuffed rubbish bins.

Je

‘When I say stop, I mean stop,’ she said, pulling Emily’s wrists behind her as Will locked the cuffs in place. Je

‘You want me to drive?’ Will asked, a smug grin creeping behind his beard. ‘You look all done in.’

Je

The best thing about working for Operation Moonlight was the steady stream of unusual cases hitting their office on a daily basis. Emily Clarke was a particular person of interest, and unfortunately for her, was being monitored by Will and Je

Back at the station, Je

Tasked to shut the Haven branch down, Op Moonlight were under pressure to locate the clandestine gatherings.

‘Are you happy with that?’ DS Claire Gilmour asked, as Je

‘It’s all for the greater good,’ Je

Je

‘What do you think? Does it look like me? I bought it in Wilko’s,’ Claire said, holding a small spiky cactus decorated with two plastic eyes and a tuft of black curly hair.

‘I can see a passing resemblance,’ Je